Some Ramblings in Summer Heat

Politicians seem to have fallen from favor in the past two or three decades. However some of them are still held in high regard. It seems that something happens to many people after they are elected to office and are in the job for a short time. It appears that they see themselves to be on a level a little above the rest of us.
And so many of them are rather poor when they are first elected but somehow come into wealth after they are in office a few years. I have always felt that this is unacceptable but it continues to happen and most people don't appear to care all that much. I've had a person or two to tell me that that is just the way things are. I'm sorry but I will never accept poor people becoming multimillionaires after they are elected to office.
I was shocked back following the Cuban missile crisis when it was revealed that an underground complex had been built at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs that was intended as a refuge for our lawmakers if a missile attack appeared to be imminent. I understood that our politicians would need a refuge if an emeny attacked our nation's capital city but did that refuge need to be at the Greenbrier?
The Greenbrier has much to offer and some of the best chefs around, of course, but I think our lawmakers could have gotten by in a less exclusive and expensive environment.
I am disturbed today by the fact that one almost has to be rich to run for some of our political offices like the presidency. If Lincoln were around today he wouldn't stand a chance of winning the nomination of either of our two major political parties.
That's a sorry situation is it not? How many really good people never enter politics because they can't afford to run for office? Wealth doesn't qualify a person for office but it is becoming a prerequisite in many cases. It's sad.
As I write this 16 people are seeking the Republican nomination for president. That's an amazing number. There are, of course, going to be 15 disappointed people. Donald Trump, so famous that he is simply called The Donald in many quarters, is one of them. Nobody is quite sure just how much money Trump is worth. He may not know. It is sad, I think, that wealth allows some people with little ability to represent us little people in the political arena.
I believe our country has great need today for a truly superior national leader. Our country has lost a lot of respect in international circles, I believe. And I believe the world is entering an era that is going to be fraught with great danger. Too many countries have nuclear weapons today and more countries are going to get such weapons in the future.
When countries that have atomic weapons and are dominated by people who believe that if they die for their god they will go to Paradise and live there forever, the world is in real danger.
I tend to get awfully serious many times in these columns. I probably should write about pleasant things and leave the more serious problems of the world to the people who have more impressive educational credentials than I have.
Of course it is proper for people to tackle the extremely serious problems of the world at times but it also is wise to not get too deeply involved in these problems. After all, most of us are not capable of solving the tremendous problems facing the world.
North Korea is a threat to the world. It appears likely that Iran will in time become a threat to mankind. Let's hope that the saner areas of the world have the intelligence and wisdom to face up to countries like these before the world disappears in one giant explosion. There are a lot of honeysuckle and rhododendron blossoms I want to smell before my time comes.